Hunting waterfowl such as ducks and geese is a popular recreational activity. Hunters routinely place (also referred to as “deploy”) decoys on bodies of water to attract the flying waterfowl to land. Referring to FIG. 1, a decoy 10 is a floating three-dimensional model of a waterfowl. The decoy contains a keel 11 with a fitting (typically a hole) on its underside. The decoy is retained in place by connecting a line 20 from the fitting to an anchor 30 that rests on the bottom of the body of water. Hunters frequently connect multiple decoys together in an assembly as shown in FIG. 2 and as described in more detail in Prince, U.S. Pat. No. 1,836,504, issued Dec. 15, 1931. In such an assembly, each individual decoy line 20 is connected to a fitting 40 on a main line 50 rather than to an anchor. The main line is, in turn, anchored at both ends.
The process of placing and retrieving a multiple decoy assembly is time consuming. To retrieve the assembly, the individual decoy lines are separated from the main line and then wound around each individual decoy. The main line is then wound separately. Each decoy and its line are placed in bags for storage. The bags are then generally placed in boxes.
A variety of multiple decoy assemblies have been disclosed. For example, Wethall, U.S. Pat. No. 970,003, issued Sep. 13, 1910; Milam, U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,200, issued Nov. 4, 1952; and Dunne, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,071, issued Dec. 24, 1991; disclose multiple decoy assemblies having rods or bars that connect the decoys together. The decoys are removed from the Wethall and Dunne assemblies for storage, but are left connected in the Milam assembly. In the Milam assembly, the position of the decoys is fixed by the length of the connecting rods. The length of the connecting rods also fixes the size of the assembly when stored.
A holder for individual decoys is disclosed in Lindsay, U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,368, issued Feb. 3, 1981. The Lindsay decoy holder is a base with a slot. Individual decoys with attached weights are suspended form the base. A trotline carrier-holder is sold by Maverick Manufacturing Company of Clarksville, Tex. The trotline carrier-holder is a tube with a slot and with a rod suspended inside the tube. The hooks in the trotline are positioned around the rod and extend outward through the slot.
Accordingly, there is a demand for an improved decoy placement, retrieval, and storage system. In particular, there is a demand for a multiple decoy system that can be used with any decoys, that can be placed and retrieved easily and quickly, that allows flexibility in the distances between the individual decoys, that reduces tangling of lines, that takes up little space when stored or transported, and that leaves the individual decoys accessible when stored so they can be repainted or repaired easily.